Word choice at work is best kept professional

Dear Carson: Could you please help me with a dispute my husband and I are having over the use of the word "hell"?

My husband owns a construction company, and much more obscene words are spoken on job sites than are on a daily basis at other places.

The other day, my husband used the word "hell" when speaking on the phone with a new customer.

I said that I felt he should be careful when using that word, especial in a business setting, because it might offend a customer or a potential customer.

He says that the word is not a curse word, because it is a place.

He also feels that no one is offended by its use anymore and that if they are offended they are just stuffy and prudish.

My opinion is that it is a curse word when used in any context other than when you are speaking of hell the place.

Is "hell" still considered a curse word or am I just an old and stuffy prude?

Please answer soon, because a huge argument is brewing over this topic. - Old Stuffy Prude

Dear Prude: I am with you on being certain that you know to whom you speak and think you can accurately gauge whether they might be offended by the use of that word. Admittedly, construction sites are rough and the work there is heavy and grueling.

The use of such words as "damn" and "hell" is more understandable in this milieu than it would be at an afternoon tea or a church supper.